


Stick Together, See It Through

by HonestlyJustHereForALaff



Series: Spectrum [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: Autism, Autism Spectrum, Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 18:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonestlyJustHereForALaff/pseuds/HonestlyJustHereForALaff
Summary: Blaine never thought he'd have a best friend.Follows events from "The Substitute" to "Furt"





	Stick Together, See It Through

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry about the delay, folks! As you might be able to tell from the word count, this chapter got away from me, in the best way.
> 
> Also, big thanks to Lallagogo not only for being a loyal and thoughtful commenter, but for coming up with the much better title for this series. :)

Blaine sometimes thought back to that first time they had lunch, how the whole way there he was worried Kurt would either burst into tears again, or that they’d have nothing to really talk about.

That was so silly to think about, now.

They’d clicked almost instantly, not only over their shared love of Vogue and Broadway--he finally had someone to go see that amazing production of RENT with him who wouldn’t be rolling their eyes the whole time--but just as people, too. Their senses of humor were similar enough to be compatible, but different enough to keep each other laughing. Blaine was definitely goofier, always ready with a pun or a silly setup, but Kurt’s dry wit just couldn’t be matched. Plus they both had a passion for justice through lifting people up instead of tearing them down. They could, and did, talk for hours, whether through text, on the phone, or Blaine’s favorite, in person.

Like right now.

“I’m just saying that drunk people who get married to someone they met an hour ago by an Elvis impersonator--I mean, that’s a bigger insult to marriage than two gay guys getting hitched.”

“Totally,” Blaine almost talked over him in his excitement. It was so nice to actually have someone to vent to about this stuff. His friends were sympathetic and all, but they didn’t want to hear about the millions of injustices he had to face every day just for being who he was. Kurt, on the other hand, often started those conversations so Blaine didn’t even have to. “It’s like, if marriage is so sacred, they should just outlaw divorce.”

“I--right! Right!” Kurt laughed, and Blaine felt very proud of himself. He glanced to Mercedes to see if she agreed, but she looked checked out. He knew better than anyone that it wasn’t always a bad thing, though. Sometimes he got lost in his head and just needed a nudge to come back.

“What do you think, Mercedes?” He metaphorically nudged her.

She blinked and shook her head a bit. Yep, definitely spaced out. Blaine understood. “Oh, about uh, don’t-ask-don’t-tell?”

“Oh, no, we’re on Prop. 8 now,” Kurt told her.

Her face seemed to light up a bit. “Totally for it.”

Blaine’s stomach dropped a bit, but Kurt didn’t skip a beat. “Against it.”

“Right,” She winced, and Blaine relaxed. Just a slip of the tongue, then. “I’m sorry, I kinda just blanked out.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Blaine was quick to say, even putting his hand on hers for a moment. If anyone knew that blanking out usually wasn’t a personal insult, it was him. He was as understanding to her as he wished other people would be to himself. “We should talk about stuff that you’re interested in, too.” That always helped him, but he obviously didn’t know Mercedes’ interests off the top of his head, so he turned to Kurt for help, there.

If his smile was any indicator, he knew just what to do. “I know, let’s play a game! Okay, on the count of three, name your favorite 2010 Vogue cover.”

Blaine brightened. He loved Vogue, and it seemed like something Mercedes would like, too. 

“1--”

He was suddenly nervous that he’d pick a cover Kurt hated. Which one would Kurt like?

“2--” 

No time to think on it now, though. Best to just be honest. He couldn’t look at Kurt, though.

“3.”

“Marion Cotillard,” He said, and was absolutely delighted to hear it echoed back. “Oh my God, stop it!” He laughed, feeling so relieved.

“She’s amazing!” Kurt was smiling just as much.

“Amazing!” Blaine agreed.

“Amazing!”

“Amazing!” Crap, his echolalia. Hopefully Kurt hadn’t noticed.

“I mean, her singing!” Kurt went on.

“Right? And she plays like four different instruments, doesn’t she?” He knew he was right, but he didn’t want to seem too knowledgeable. He went on a week-long research binge on her right after seeing that cover.

“God, so talented. And all her environmental work on top of that?” Kurt added.

“Ugh, she’s awesome.” 

Kurt looked at him for a moment, and Blaine wondered if he was supposed to say something else. He racked his brain for what else he knew about her, but Kurt spoke up again.

“God, it’s nice to have someone to talk to about this stuff, you know?”

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” Blaine smiled.

“I mean, I love my dad and my soon-to-be-brother, but they just want to talk about the Buckaroos or whatever.”

“Buckeyes,” Blaine corrected, glancing at Mercedes to see if they could share a teasing glance or something. It seemed like she’d spaced out again, though, so he looked to Kurt and nodded his head towards her. He didn’t want to intrude if it was something she did a lot.

Kurt seemed just as confused though. “Mercedes?” Nothing. “Mercedes?”

There she was, her focus was back. Blaine did his best to try and bring her back into the conversation. She wasn’t into Vogue, so maybe sports?

“I was just talking about the Buckeyes,” He said, catching her up. “I’m a college football fan. I like sports too, y’know.” He regretted it as soon as it came out of his mouth. He was so used to defending himself, he’d done it when there was nothing to defend against.

He couldn’t get a read on whether he’d offended Mercedes, but Kurt’s voice broke his anxious thoughts. 

“Oh, way to break the stereotype.” He offered a high-five, which Blaine gladly took.

He looked back, but Mercedes’ attention seemed to be on the waitress about to pass them. “Excuse me,” She asked her. “I know it’s not on your menu, but I was wondering if you guys have some--”

“You want some tots,” She answered, and Mercedes nodded. How had she known?

“You kids must go to McKinley,” The waitress smiled, then went off. Blaine looked to Kurt for an explanation, but he was staring at Mercedes with a look he couldn’t read.

Mercedes seemed unfazed. “So, what were we talking about?”

Blaine had no clue what was going on anymore, and didn’t know where to start with conversation topics anymore. He left it to Kurt once again, and he seemed happy to oblige.

“Has anyone read Patti LuPone’s new book?”

Blaine thought maybe a joke would lighten the mood. He looked up, pretending like he was avoiding the topic. The minute he saw Kurt’s face fall a bit, though, he broke.

“I’m kidding, of course I have.”

“Okay, good!” Kurt laughed and touched his arm, and Blaine couldn’t help laughing with him. “You scared me so much!”

They got to talking about it, but they kept falling into the same cycle. He and Kurt would gush for a while, one of them would realize Mercedes hadn’t said anything, they’d try a new topic, repeat. When Mercedes’ tots arrived, Blaine tried to start a conversation on that, but Mercedes would only answer with “Uh-huh” and keep eating.

As the night came to a close and they all bid each other goodbye, Blaine was still thinking about it. He’d done everything he could to include her, but nothing had worked. She was one of Kurt’s closest friends, yet she hadn’t said a word all night. Had he been hogging Kurt? Leaving her out?

When he was still thinking about it by the time he got home hours later, he knew he had to text Kurt.

**Hey, everyone home safe?**

_Yes, Mom, we’re all fine and back home._

**That is no way to talk to your mother.**

_Whatever. I’m going to listen to death metal in my room now._

**Is that really as rebellious as it gets?**

_And make out with the high school dropout from the wrong side of the tracks._

**Now that’s more like it.**

_You shouldn’t be encouraging this, as my mother._

**You’re right. I’m quitting that job.**

_Good idea._

Blaine sighed, flopping back on the bed. No more stalling.

**Hey, can I talk to you about what happened today?**

_You mean with Mercedes?_

**Yeah. Is she okay?**

_I don’t know. I’m going to talk with her tomorrow._

At least he wasn’t seeing things. He knew he should just leave it at that, but the question was nagging at him, and he was typing before he could stop himself.

**Did I do something wrong? You can tell me.**

_You didn’t, I promise. This is between me and her._

The relief washed over him. He could tell there was more to it, but at least he didn’t have to obsess over the entire dinner, now.

**Alright. Let me know how it goes?**

_I will. Good night, Buckeyes fan._

**Good night, person-who-thought-it-was-Buckaroos.**

_I’m never going to live that down, am I?_

**Nope. Good night!**

* * *

Blaine liked to think it said something about how close they were that as soon as his phone buzzed and showed only a picture of about five flower arrangements, he knew what to say before the text part even came in.

**Kurt, relax.**

_They were out of cranberry red, so one of them had to be fire brick. Please tell me it’s not noticeable._

**1 No, it really isn’t, and 2. Even if it was, it’s not going to make anyone call off the wedding, right?**

_I did everything I could to make this perfect._

**I have about 50 frantic text conversations that say you’re right.**

_And now this._

**If the thing you’re most worried about on the day your dad is marrying another woman is the flower arrangement being off a few shades, most people would say you’re doing just fine, you know.**

_Hey, Carole’s great. I’m proud to call her my stepmom._

Crap. He felt the moment his thoughts started spiraling. **_You messed up you messed up you messed up--_**

OnetwothreefourFIVE hard taps with his whole hand on the side table to his right, and he could breathe again. 

**I know, sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.**

**I only meant that the crucial parts are all in working order. No sense fussing over some squeaky wheels here and there.**

_Squeaky wheels get the grease._

**They don’t deserve your grease.**

_Yeah, I’ve lost the metaphor here._

**Me too. The point is: It’s going to go great, you did an amazing job planning, and you need to put down your phone and respray your hair.**

_Rude, who says it needs respraying?_

**You, if the can in your locker is anything to go by.**

_Still rude. Wish me luck!_

**You don’t need it. :)**

* * *

Blaine knew he needed to focus on this English paper, but as soon as his phone buzzed with Kurt’s name on it, he picked it up.

The first few times Kurt called him after the incident with Karofsky, he’d had to wait a second to breathe and prepare himself before picking up. Even with just that one incident, he’d associated Kurt’s phone calls with stress and panic, and it was hard to break that link. Over time, though, he’d realized that Kurt’s phone calls usually meant hours of gushing about their favorite celebrities, good-natured ranting about the nonsense of homophobia, and more than a few bouts of hysterical laughter. These days, he could never pick the phone up fast enough.

“Hey, perfect timing,” He was beaming. “I need a break from good ol’ Ayn Rand, and not just because she hated lesbians.”

“This coming from one of the most soft butch women alive.”

Blaine laughed, but something was off about Kurt’s tone. He couldn’t quite place it, though. Maybe he was just overthinking it. “Anyway, what’s going on?”

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Bad news. For future reference, the answer’s always going to be bad news.” If he got the good news first, he wouldn’t be able to focus, because his body would be pulled tight like a rubber band waiting for the other shoe to drop. If he got the bad news first, it gave him a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it meant less time to prepare himself.

“Noted.” A deep breath on Kurt’s end. 

“Is it to do with the wedding?” Blaine was wishing now more than ever that he could have been there, but Kurt had planned it all out to the letter before they even met, and besides, they’d agreed that him going as Kurt’s plus-one would start rumors, and they’d both had plenty of those for the time being. “Or Mercedes?” God, he’d forgotten to even ask about that. Some friend he was.

“No, no, the wedding went great. Happy couple remains happy. And Mercedes is alright, we got that figured out weeks ago.” 

Blaine was relieved, but only a little. “Okay, so…?” He reached out blindly for something to do with his free hand as he felt the stress building. He found the library copy of Atlas Shrugged and ran his thumb back and forth along the spine, lingering on the spots where the smooth lamination had worn away to reveal rough paper.

A long silence. A deep breath.

“Karofsky’s coming back tomorrow.”

“What?” He actually stood up from his bed. “How? He’s expelled, isn’t he?”

“Right now, yes,” Kurt said, his voice flatter than it should be. “But the school board decided there wasn’t enough proof, so they’re letting him off with a warning and sending him back.”

“Unbelievable,” Blaine said, starting to pace his room. “Not enough proof, what do they want? I mean, you could give them an HD video recording and they’d probably still say it could have been faked. They never want to deal with the problem because they know they’re the problem. Bullying comes from ignorance, from prejudice and bigotry, and they’d rather just get rid of the kid that’s different than think about building a better future for their kids by setting any kind of good example and doing their jobs. I don’t get how they can look at us and just...so clearly not care.”

As he caught his breath, he realized how long he’d been talking. He’d never gone on a rant like that in front of Kurt. They’d had their share of passionate discussions, but it was always pretty equal. This time, he’d just run his mouth, and oh God, had he made it about him, too?

“Crap, I’m sorry Kurt, I didn’t--”

“No no, I...” 

A pause. Blaine took the opportunity to sit down, already opening his mouth to explain himself.

“Thank you.”

Blaine blinked. “Thank you?” He tried to laugh a little. Casual. “For what?”

“For getting angry for me.”

Blaine smiled, but he wasn’t sure he completely got it. 

Kurt kept going, though. “I didn’t realize how...numb, I’ve felt, since I heard. And part of me felt like I wasn’t allowed to feel any way. Like…” A shaky breath on Kurt’s end. Blaine’s hand grabbed a fistful of comforter. “Like maybe it really is nothing. And maybe I’m overreacting after all.”

“Gaslighting.” It slipped out, almost like word association.

“What?”

Blaine shook his head. “Gaslighting. Kurt, please promise me you’ll look that up tonight.”

“Um, okay.”

They were getting off track. “Anyway, you’ve got people on your side. Your glee club, your parents, and I’ll help if I can, too, of course.” He’d probably just make it worse, like last time, but if Kurt asked for him, he’d be there.

“Actually, that’s the thing. It’s the good news part.”

“Oh, right.” Blaine didn’t see how there could be any good news about that, but it did make him feel a bit better. He knew he had that Rule about good-news-bad-news choices for a reason. “What’s the good news?”

“I’m transferring to Dalton. Tomorrow.”

His stomach turned hollow, in the best way. He was rising, yet frozen where he sat. 

He was being pulled in two different directions, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Blaine? You still there?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m--” He toned down his smile, hearing how his voice sounded. “I’m here. Sorry, I shouldn’t be--”

“It’s fine. I’m kind of happy, too.”

Blaine was relieved to hear that. He knew this wasn’t a happy thing. He knew Kurt cared about his friends, and didn’t want to leave McKinley. His parents were probably giving up so much to send him here, and the only reason he was even coming was because he feared for his life.

But…

“We’ll get to see each other every day,” Blaine let the smile come back.

“Yeah.” Kurt sounded breathless. It must all be hitting him, too.

“And oh my God, you’re going to be a Warbler!” Blaine almost squealed, flopping back on his bed.

“We don’t know that yet--”

“Oh, please, are you kidding? The Warblers haven’t had a proper countertenor in almost twenty years. You’re a shoe-in, Kurt.”

“Thanks. I don’t have time to come up with a new song for the audition, so I’m scrambling to pick one from the backlog.”

“Well, I’m obligated to tell you that new members are voted in by all current members, so I can’t tell you what song would be best. That would be an unfair advantage.”

“Oh.” Kurt sounded so disappointed. Blaine couldn’t just leave it there.

“However,” He smiled. “If you tell me the basic idea of the songs, and I give a very general opinion, that’s harder to prove, isn’t it?” He was usually such a stickler for rules, but a countertenor? They had to let Kurt in. And he really, really wanted to make sure that happened.

“I guess so.” 

He could hear Kurt smiling again, and any reservations went out the window. 

“Okay, so the first one is...heartfelt. Really, really comes from the heart.”

“That’s good.”

“But it’s also safer. More comfortable range, more...I don’t know. It’s fine, it’d work, but--”

“But you like your other option better.” Blaine could hear it in his voice.

“Yeah, but it’s kind of...a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just…” He heard Kurt heave a deep sigh. “A little flamboyant.”

“Hey,” Blaine’s voice softened. “No one will have a problem with that here, remember? Zero-tolerance.”

“Thanks. It’s not just that, though. I’m worried it’ll be...I don’t know. Too much. Too dramatic.”

“Since when has that ever stopped you?” Blaine winced, thinking that could be taken the wrong way, but Kurt actually laughed.

“Point. But you guys seem very by-the-book, that’s all.”

“Hey, we can let loose.”

Judging by the way Kurt snorted, he seemed to think otherwise.

“We can!”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Oh, you will. When we’ve been rehearsing for a few hours, things tend to go off the rails.”

“How?”

“Two words: breakdancing competitions.”

“Oh God,” Kurt laughed. “In those nice common rooms?”

“David almost broke an antique chandelier last year.”

“David, really?”

Blaine smiled as he heard Kurt continue to laugh. This would be good for him.

“Anyway, you clearly want to do the second one.”

“It shows my range better. It’s more me.” A pause. “But…”

“But nothing. We want to see you, Kurt. You’re coming here so you can openly be yourself, right? You don’t have to hide anymore.”

He heard Kurt take a breath, and held his own.

“You’re right. Thanks, Blaine. I need to start rehearsing, then.”

“Right, I’ll--” He beamed as he remembered. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah. You will.” He could hear Kurt smiling, too. “Good night.”

“Good night, Kurt.”

He hung up. Sat there for a moment.

Then he gave in. There was too much energy not to.

He sat up, clapped, pumped his fist. Then he needed to get up, so he literally jumped up, punching the air a few times. 

Both hands started flapping, and he didn’t even care if his door was open.

Kurt was coming to Dalton. He’d get to see him every single day.

Thank God his English paper wasn’t due till the day after tomorrow. He wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else the rest of the night.

* * *

Blaine woke to a text alert right next to his ear, and he groaned at the sound. He was still a bit bleary-eyed, but he knew it had to be either late at night or early in the morning. Who would be texting him?

He grabbed his phone, wincing just a little as he turned the screen on. If it was Thad reminding him of practice he already knew about, or if Nick forgot his own combination again, there was going to be hell to pay.

What he saw, though, made him sit up as memories of the night before came rushing back.

_Ugh, the only good thing about this long drive is that I get a whole car to myself to sing the full Wicked soundtrack before school._

He meant Dalton. He felt a smile stretch his face. Kurt was really coming to Dalton, today.

**I’d be offended seeing me doesn’t count, but I can’t compete with Idina or Kristen.**

_Who can? You’re a distant second, though. :)_

**I’ll take it! :D**

_Okay I really have to get going or I’m going to be late. See you there!_

Blaine leapt out of bed, getting dressed in a flurry. He didn’t want to act too happy at school, so he needed to get it all out here. As horrible as the circumstances surrounding it were, he was going to get to see his best friend every day. How could he not be excited?

As he drove to school, he came to the additional realization, thanks to re-reading the text he just got as if that would make Kurt text him again.

He was going to hear Kurt sing today.

Kurt had made a point never to sing in front of him. Initially, he’d done it for the sake of his glee club, not wanting to give away any secrets to an opposing team. That was fair enough, but Kurt had also mentioned several times that his teacher never gave him any solos. Would it really be putting anything in jeopardy, then? Blaine never said that, of course. He didn’t want to imply Kurt wasn’t important to his team, even if Kurt implied it several times himself.

But he’d be important here. A countertenor! For the first time since the grind towards Sectionals had started, he was looking forward to Warbler practice.

He got to school pretty early, as he usually did. There was always something to do--homework to catch up on, songs to practice, piano exercises to do. If nothing else, he could catch up with everybody. Usually the time went by pretty quickly, no matter what.

Not this time. Every second felt like agony, and he kept glancing at his phone as he stood by the lockers with a few other Warblers, hoping for a text from Kurt saying he was here and to meet him outside or something.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked up to see Jeff.

“Blaine, I promise, Kurt still loves you even if he forgot his ‘good morning’ text.”

He didn’t know which was more disturbing, the implication or the fact that, despite everyone else snickering, Jeff looked eerily sincere.

“Stop,” He laughed, pushing his hand off. A jolt of realization hit him, though, and his voice turned serious. “Seriously, Jeff, you can’t say stuff like that anymore.”

“What, too close to home?” Trent laughed.

“No, really, guys,” He insisted. Jesus, Kurt was coming here to feel safe from unwanted advances. If they kept acting like Blaine was stalking him or something--

He didn’t even want to think about it.

Before he could really lay it out, though, Thad’s voice sounded behind him.

“Hey, guys, look who’s here!”

Blaine whipped around, and felt his smile split his face. In between Thad and Wes, looking perfectly at home in the Dalton blazer, was none other than his best friend.

He was running, he realized. Running to Kurt. And just when he’d registered that, he was suddenly hugging him.

He was quick to let go when he realized, but Kurt seemed fine. A bit shocked, understandably, but not scared or anything. He was smiling, and there wasn’t the usual tension in his shoulders that he saw anytime they were near McKinley. And even though he knew Kurt had some...thoughts, on the Dalton blazer, he looked just as fashionable as ever, in Blaine’s opinion.

“It suits you,” He said, and Kurt smiled even bigger.

The boys were all talking behind them, with Wes and Thad seemingly filling them in on Kurt’s transfer. Jeff’s voice, as usual, was the one that carried.

“Hey, give them a break. They might not see each other for the rest of the day.”

“Oh” Kurt finally looked away, rummaging through his bag. “We should compare schedules. I mean, I could get lost in this place, you know.”

“Well, the only thing we’d have together might be lunch.”

Kurt looked up, brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Wait, do sophomores and juniors have classes together at McKinley?” Trent asked, and Blaine felt his chest tighten.

Kurt was still staring at him. “You’re a sophomore? But we’re the same age, how is that possible?”

Blaine wasn’t ready to talk about this. He didn’t think he’d have to talk about this. Dammit, how had he not seen this coming?

He was saved by the warning bell. They must not have those at McKinley, because Kurt jumped and panicked. “Crap, I’m already late--”

“No, you’re not,” Blaine laughed, putting a hand on his arm to try and comfort him. “That’s the warning bell, you have ten minutes, still.” He glanced over at his schedule, seeing a familiar name. “You and Nick are going the same way, looks like.”

“Oh, man,” Nick laughed. “Not a great first impression of the place. Sit at least three rows back, Mr. Johnson’s a spitter.”

“And I’ll see you at lunch,” Blaine could feel how wide he was smiling. Thank God they had the same lunch period.

Kurt seemed happy about that, too, finally breaking into that big smile again. “I expect you will, Mr. Anderson.”

Jeff started singing the Matrix theme in the background. Going by Kurt’s puzzled look, he didn’t recognize it.

“Ignore him,” Nick said, tilting his head. “Come on, don’t want a demerit on your first day.”

Kurt shot Blaine one last smile before following Nick down the hall.

Blaine still couldn’t believe this was real. This would really be every single weekday from now on. This was really happening.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jeff yanking his arm. “You can stare at his ass later. I’m not risking a new lab partner because we couldn’t grab our usual table.”

“You are obsessed, you know that?” Blaine ripped his arm out of his grip and bumped his arm as payback. Why would he stare at Kurt’s ass? They were best friends, nothing more. Maybe it was a joke he didn’t get. Straight guys liked making gay jokes, after all.

No sense dwelling. Mrs. Monteiro waited for no one, they’d have to stand outside and write lines if they didn’t hurry.

But God, lunch couldn’t come soon enough.

* * *

In hindsight, rushing to lunch was pretty counterproductive. He was there earlier, but it meant he had to wait longer for Kurt. As more of his fellow Warblers started filing in, he got more and more tense. He wished he could pull out his phone and text him, but they weren’t allowed to have phones out during school hours, even during lunch. He didn’t want to get Kurt in trouble on his first day.

“You gonna eat your burger or just tap on it?”

It was Wes, sitting next to him, and he snapped back to reality.

“Right, yeah,” He said, forcing it to his mouth. It was hard to enjoy it, his mind was just occupied.

“Relax, Blaine, he’s fine.” Thad this time. “He was in Jeff’s Environmental Science class last period, he’ll make sure he gets here.”

“We’re trusting Jeff to not get someone lost?” Nick laughed around a mouthful of burger. “Poor kid’s doomed.”

Almost everyone laughed, but Blaine didn’t, staring down at his burger.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Trent asked from across the way. “Jeff GPS jokes are usually a home run with you.”

“I just need today to go well,” He muttered.

The table went quiet, and Blaine didn’t dare to look up to see exactly why.

“Did Kurt come here for the same reason you did? Is that why?”

He looked up at Nick, whose face was no less open than usual.

“It’s not my story to tell, but…” Deep breath. “Basically, yeah. I just…” He finally put down his burger. He wasn’t about to eat right now, anyway. It was like he’d broken the dam, and all his worries were spilling out. “I know he’s sacrificing so much to be here, and frankly, he wouldn’t do this if he had any other option, so I want this to be worth it, you know? I want him to have a great time here, better than he had at McKinley, even, and for things to be safe, too. But I can’t be next to him all day making sure that all happens and that’s…”

_Frustrating, terrifying, depressing, leaves this ache in my chest that won’t go away…_

“...not a good feeling.”

Another silence. Blaine’s stomach was churning--he already regretted that tiny bite of his burger.

A hand clapped on his shoulder. He turned towards it to see Wes.

“Then we’ll just have to pick up your slack, won’t we?” He said, turning to the rest of the group

Nods and warm smiles went around the table.

“So you can pull down Kurt’s slacks,” Nick muttered under his breath.

Blaine heard him, though, and chucked a fry at him, hitting his forehead perfectly and earning an “Ow, what the hell, dude?”. Everyone laughed, and the tension was broken.

David suddenly waved at someone behind him, and Blaine whipped around.

And there was Kurt, walking in with Jeff, laughing at something he said and shoving his arm playfully. The knot in Blaine’s chest finally released, and he gave a wave of his own, indicating the chair next to him, which Kurt took.

“You got Kurt lost, didn’t you?” Nick said as Jeff sat down next to him.

Jeff opened his mouth, but Kurt beat him to it.

“On the plus side, I got a lovely tour of the second floor.”

“The second floor, Jeff? You board here, are you serious?”

“They’re always arguing about something,” Blaine reassured him, then got up. “Come on, the lunch line’s a little weird, I’ll show you how it works.”

“You sure?” Kurt said, getting up even though he was eyeing Blaine’s tray.

Blaine grabbed it himself and shrugged. “I need a new one, anyway, this one got cold.”

He rushed them towards the line, both to avoid the question of why it had gotten cold, and because he was suddenly pretty hungry.

* * *

The rest of the day absolutely dragged on. Blaine was usually pretty patient, especially during classes. He couldn’t allow himself to space out. If his grades slipped, his parents would start talking about tutors and accomodations again, and he couldn’t let that happen. It might take twice as much effort as everyone else, but he was going to be the perfect student.

Except he couldn’t stop thinking about Kurt. His mind was full of things he should have told him about Dalton, things he wished he’d known. He’d told him a few at lunch, but he was realizing there were still a million he forgot.

Like the fact that, yes, there were in fact women’s restrooms here, and the signs sacrificed being obvious for looking fancy, so you had to pay attention or risk hearing your History teacher let out a scream fit for a horror movie even though all you saw was her washing her hands.

Or the fact that if you needed somewhere quiet to go, the library was actually the worst place, because Mr. Balding liked to overcompensate for his unfortunately-fitting last name by loudly shushing people for so much as dropping a book, but the student lounges were usually completely abandoned during the school day for obvious reasons and therefore were the best bet.

And even though it was against the rules, he wanted to tell him that even though they usually performed pop songs, the Council liked to see something different from potential candidates, to show their range, and that Wes liked rock n roll but David preferred jazzy songs and Thad was more of a ballad guy, and yeah, obviously you can’t do all three, but figure out which is least likely to be on your side and try to favor them--

“Mr. Anderson.”

Blaine’s mind jumped back, and he knew instantly he was in trouble. If it had to jump back, that meant it jumped away. It hadn’t done that during class in months.

Mr. Gatta had his arms crossed. He clearly thought he’d got him. “Start us off, if you don't mind.”

Trent was right in front of him, turned to face him. Therefore, Mr. Gatta couldn’t see his friend’s hands as he subtly crooked two fingers on each hand, and flicked his wrists inward. _Theme._

Blaine sometimes wondered if The Warblers really bought his explanation that signing while singing might come back into style, but in this moment, he didn’t care. It was consistently a lifesaver.

“Well, I found the idea of questioning the split between mind and body an interesting theme of the book,” He said, and judging by Mr. Gatta’s frown and Trent’s smile, he’d gotten it right.

“Just see that both your mind and body, namely your eyes, are up front in the future,” Was all he could say in response.

“Yes, sir,” He smiled, not intending to do a bit of it.

After all, he had a list to make for Kurt.

* * *

Blaine was having trouble focusing, and not just because of the different location.

They couldn’t exactly wheel in a grand piano, and the Dalton Academy Warblers would not stoop to something as lowly as a keyboard, so they were using the only common room with a piano in it. Usually the chamber choir got dibs, but they didn’t start the busy season until it was a little closer to Christmas, so they’d agreed to switch rooms just this once.

Blaine always had a hard time focusing when his routine changed in any way, but on top of that, he was nervous. He may not have ever heard Kurt sing, but he had complete faith in him. It was the rest of the Warblers he worried about. He knew some would vote him in no matter what, just to avoid Blaine pouting about it, but Wes, David, and Thad took their roles very seriously. Only the best of the best got in.

And worst of all, part of this was riding on his shoulders, too, as he’d recently found out.

“And now, our final order of business,” He heard Wes say, and Blaine straightened up. “As most of you are aware, we have a new transfer today, Kurt Hummel. He will be auditioning for us in just a moment. I would like to ask you gentlemen to remember the proper protocol.” 

Some of the newer members looked around, but Thad was already passing down some pieces of paper. The new members most likely remembered their auditions, but were too full of nerves to remember exactly how it went down. Blaine certainly had been.

“Junior Member Anderson, if you would tell Mr. Hummel that we’re ready and lead him in,” David said.

Blaine nodded and got up.

“Promptly,” David added, with just a flicker of a smile.

“Yes, Councilman,” He answered, ignoring the implication.

He went out the door to the bench across the hall, where he’d left Kurt before the meeting started. One leg was up on the bench now, though, and he was turned toward it, nose down on his knee and both hands grasping his foot.

Blaine stared for just a second. He’d tried doing that stretch once, and he could barely reach his ankle. Seemed they would have a new dancer, too. And they would, he told himself. Kurt was going to ace this.

“I hope you’re not going to break anything in there,” Blaine said, and Kurt started, coming back up effortlessly. He seemed to get over the surprise quickly, though, and stood up with his binder.

“Just the hearts of all those boys inside,” Kurt smiled, but his voice sounded a little breathless. Nervous, of course he was. Blaine was terrified the first time he’d walked in to all those blazers and blank stares. 

Blaine put a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, his go-to for when Kurt was upset, and it seemed to do the trick even now, thankfully. “I have no doubt.” _Promptly_ , he remembered, and drew his hand away. “Come on.” As much as he wanted to take Kurt’s hand, that would go against the rules, so he just walked back towards the door, leaving it open behind him.

Instead of going back to his spot, he went over to the piano. A lot of the Warblers could play, but he and Thad were the only ones who could sightread. Thad had done it before Blaine came, but everyone agreed it was better if the Council really got to see everyone. He understood, but he wished he could be at least a slightly more friendly face in the crowd for Kurt.

It seemed Kurt felt the same, because when he looked up, Kurt was staring at him, but he quickly turned back to the Council once their eyes met. He’d have to do this whole thing and not even see Kurt’s face. Fantastic.

Wes spoke first. “Welcome, Mr. Hummel. What will you be singing for us today?”

“I’ll be singing Defying Gravity.”

It was a good thing Kurt couldn’t see him, because Blaine’s eyebrows shot up, and that was definitely against the rules. Wasn’t that sung by a woman? Specifically THE Idina Menzel? Tough act to follow.

Everyone else’s faces stayed blank, but he spent every day with these guys. He could tell they were intrigued, too.

“Of course,” Thad answered. “If you’ll give your sheet music to Junior Member Anderson, we’ll begin whenever you’re ready.”

Kurt finally turned to face him, and he made his face neutral again. He tried to beam friendliness and support through his eyes as much as he could, though. He handed him the binder, and Blaine took it out, laying the music in front of him. It was definitely a shorter version, but it would hit the two-and-a-half-minute limit perfectly.

“This the right key?” He asked quietly.

“Yep.” Kurt smiled.

Blaine had to put everything into not looking shocked that time. It was the exact same key as Idina’s version, complete with the final high F.

It was a risk. Kurt knew that, it was why he’d asked. And he’d never change his answer, Kurt should sing the song he wanted to.

But he really, really wanted Kurt to get in. And...it was a high F, for God’s sake!

Focus, he had to focus. And as usual when he needed to focus, he looked to Kurt.

Kurt was looking right back, head turned over his shoulder as he stood in front of the Warblers. He was smiling, the picture of confidence. But Blaine noticed the slightest tremor in the hand at his side. He was nervous, too, but there he was.

Courage.

Blaine almost broke the rule and smiled back as he nodded. He was going to do this. Kurt was counting on him.

With a subtle deep breath, he started the beginning flourishes. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat. A million things that could go wrong flew through his head as he played. Some of them involved Kurt messing up, but most of them involved himself. Should he have told him to go with a safer song? What if he spaced out and started playing it wrong? Oh God, he was spacing out right now, wasn’t he? At least he was still playing, but what if he couldn’t space back in before--

“ _Something has changed within me_

_Something is not the same_ ”

Quiet. Has brain had gone blissfully quiet, as if it wanted to hear Kurt sing as much as he did.

“ _I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game_ ”

God, he could sing. He could sing. He was going to be a Warbler, and the two of them were going to spend almost every hour they weren't sleeping with each other, and that was totally, totally fine by Blaine. 

As Kurt kept singing, he made a point to keep looking at the sheet music, not that he needed it. But he knew if he looked up at Kurt, he’d break the rules immediately. How could he not smile right now? Kurt’s voice was soaring, defying gravity all on its own, so strong and clear. If he tried to focus on anything else, he worried it would overwhelm him. Hell, he was already overwhelmed, even if it was in a good way. He knew well enough that even being overwhelmed with good things could send him spiraling, fast. He stared at a random spot on the sheet music to keep his pounding heart to a reasonable rate.

That got harder and harder as they approached the high F. This was it. The moment of truth. No matter how amazing the rest had been, if he didn’t hit this note, it would sour everyone’s opinion of him.

A word repeated in his head on a loop. Please please please pleasepleasepleaseplease--

“ _And you won’t bring me down!_ ”

A smile broke on his face for a split second, before he schooled it back to neutral. He’d done it. Kurt had done it.

He felt ashamed for ever doubting him.

A few last chords, Kurt’s final note faded, and the song was over. Blaine had to clench his hands in fists, dig his nails in to make himself not clap, and bite his tongue to keep from grinning ear to ear.

Wes was the first to break the silence. “Thank you, Mr. Hummel. Please wait where you were and we’ll be out shortly with the verdict.”

Blaine finally looked at Kurt just as he glanced back at him, eyes wide with...something. He was too overwhelmed to get a good read, but it’s not as if his face could betray anything. Kurt soon looked away, and walked out the door.

Blaine subtly released the breath he’d been holding. His face still couldn’t give anything away, though, even now.

“Blindfolds, gentlemen.”

Blaine thought when he first heard about this, he’d have a hard time not laughing. It just seemed a little ridiculous. But as he untied his tie, and watched everyone else do the same, he didn’t feel like laughing. His heart was pounding again, but stayed in his chest. Set in place.

He tied the tie around his eyes, and took a deep breath. This was it.

“All those in favor of bringing Kurt Hummel into the Warblers?”

His hand shot up. He’d forgotten that they were supposed to do it slowly, so no one would hear. He didn’t care. He was going to fight if he had to, anyway.

“All opposed?”

Blaine put his hand in his lap. Every muscle was fizzing with electricity as he waited. 

The silence seemed to last forever.

“By a unanimous vote, Kurt Hummel is our newest member of the Dalton Academy Warblers.”

His face had split into a smile halfway through, but he still had to wait for the gavel to hit to let go.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one, because the minute the bang sounded, the room erupted in laughter and chatter. Blaine threw his blindfold off and jumped to his feet, and ran to meet the rest of the boys, all talking over each other.

“Oh my God, did you hear that?”

“I was worried it’d be a trainwreck, but wow!”

“That high F, though?!”

“I was ready to throw down if anyone opposed.”

“Oh, Blaine would have beat you to that!”

“He would have thrown down if he sounded like a dying pig, that doesn’t count.”

“Hey!” Blaine cut in, but he was still laughing, practically vibrating with excitement. A voice like that, on their team? They had Nationals in the bag.

The gavel sounded again, and everyone turned, looking a bit sheepish, but the Council looked just as pleased.

“Junior Member Anderson, please fetch Junior Member Hummel so we can tell him the good news.” David said.

Junior Member Hummel. His face was starting to ache from smiling so much. “Yes, sir, Councilman.” He said, before practically sprinting out of the room.

But he wasn’t there.

Blaine’s smile fell just a bit, but when he looked around, he just barely spotted Kurt rounding the corner. Maybe he thought they were going to take longer and decided to take a bathroom break?

“Hey, Kurt, wait up!” He called, running after him. When he turned the corner, Kurt hadn’t stopped walking. Did he have the wrong person? No, couldn’t be, he’d know that hair anywhere. Earbuds, maybe?

“Kurt!” He tried again as he kept running. No good. He really must have earbuds in. He almost just grabbed his shoulder when he caught up, but he didn’t want to scare him. Instead, he gently poked the back of his shoulder twice.

It was only then that he saw Kurt wasn’t wearing earbuds. And when he turned around, Blaine almost immediately stepped back. He didn’t know what to make of Kurt’s expression, but it definitely wasn’t a good one.

“Kurt?” He asked, but Kurt instantly talked over him.

“I’m already drafting an e-mail to the Headmaster. Don’t know how much good it’ll do, but you have to start somewhere.”

“Wh-what?” Blaine’s stomach dropped in a sickeningly familiar way. You missed something important. You screwed up.

“Don’t play dumb.” 

Blaine internally flinched. He’d never been on the receiving end of Kurt’s cutting words before, he realized, and that word in particular left a cold feeling washing over him, head to toe. 

Kurt was still talking. “You think those doors are soundproof? They may be old and heavy, but things that loud carry, you know.”

“I--” 

“I don’t know why I thought things would be different. Zero-tolerance, what a load of crap.”

“Kurt, wait--” Things started to blend together. Kurt’s biting voice, its echo off the empty marble hallway, the occasional footsteps, the birds outside, his own heartbeat and breathing--

Focus, he had to focus.

But focusing on Kurt meant focusing on those cold eyes, that sneer. 

It meant focusing on the fact that he was about to lose his best friend, and he didn’t even know why. 

Everything was falling apart, he was falling, everything a swirl of noise and light and everything _touching_ him, pressing down on him, please, please make it stop make it stop make it--

“STOP.”

It was suddenly quiet again, and a moment later, he realized he was the one who’d shouted that.

His eyes refocused, and Kurt was there, looking tense. Scared. 

Shit.

“Sorry, i--” Deep breath. Eye contact. “I’m sorry. I...don’t know what I’m apologizing for, I’ll be honest, but whatever I did to make you like this, I am sorry.”

Kurt’s brow furrowed, but it wasn’t as bad as before. “You all laughed at me.”

Oh. The pieces were coming together, but not quite clicked into place.

“Kurt, no we weren’t--”

“Don’t.” It was less harsh, and Kurt looked down at his shoes. “I heard the words ‘trainwreck’ and ‘dying pig’.” He looked back up, fire in his eyes. “I got your message loud and clear when none of you even smiled, it really wasn’t necessary to resort to name-calling when you knew I was right on the other side of that door.”

_Click, click, click._

“Oh,” Blaine breathed out, smile back on his face. It dropped when Kurt’s eyes narrowed, and he cleared his throat. “Look, remember when you said we were very by-the-book?”

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” He deadpanned. Or at least, Blaine thought he was joking. Hoped he was. Best not to take the risk of laughing.

“Right, well, we have certain rules regarding auditions. To be honest, they make more sense when we have the auditions at the beginning of the year with a line out the door, but rules are rules, here.” Blaine forced himself to look at Kurt, whose expression was thankfully a bit more open. “All members are to maintain a neutral face during audition performances, and no clapping or cheering is permitted,” He recited, conjuring up the piece of paper in his mind.

Kurt blinked, and seemed to relax a little, so Blaine kept going.

“Once the auditionee leaves the room, they are put to a blind vote. Members will use their ties as blindfolds to ensure the blindness of the vote.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Kurt actually laughed, and Blaine felt so much lighter.

“I’m serious.”

“Well, I was wondering where yours went.”

It was Blaine’s turn to laugh as he glanced down. He must have dropped it on the ground in his excitement.

“So?” Blaine looked back up to Kurt’s wide eyes.

“Hang on.” Blaine smiled, as if he were building up to a big reveal. In reality, he couldn’t remember the rules verbatim unless he went completely in order. “If the vote is unanimous, the decision carries. If it is not, a member from each side is chosen, and has two minutes each to state their case. Another vote is then cast. If that decision is also not unanimous, the decision is left to the Council.”

“Sounds complicated.” Kurt was trying to joke, but he wasn’t smiling. Nervous. As if he had anything to be nervous for.

“Not this time. The first vote was unanimous.” Blaine couldn’t help it--he walked over and put both hands on Kurt’s shoulders. “You’re in.”

Watching Kurt’s face go from shock to sunshine was worth every second of that near-meltdown. And just in case it wasn’t, the tight hug Kurt gave him definitely was. He could actually feel him shake with what he hoped was laughter against him. 

Blaine almost pulled away after a moment, but then he remembered Kurt initiated the hug. That meant he could wait for Kurt to pull away first. Good--he needed something to keep him grounded. He really had gotten so close to a meltdown. Then he really would have lost Kurt as a friend.

_You will, eventually,_ his thoughts reminded him. _You can’t hide it forever._

And he knew that. But...he wanted to have this. Just a little longer.

Kurt pulled away not long after, looking happier than he’d ever seen him. “Unanimous, really?”

Blaine took his hand. “Come on,” He laughed, guiding him back to the practice room. He had the foresight to let go of his hand before opening the doors--God knows he’d never hear the end of it if they walked in long holding hands after how long they were gone. He felt Kurt’s hand tense a bit before he pulled away, but it was too late now.

As soon as the doors opened, the room exploded in cheers, and almost everyone rushed Kurt.

“There he is!”

“Congrats, newbie!”

“What took you so long?”

“You two make out to celebrate?”

“You never make out with me to celebrate, Blaine,” He heard Nick say before he draped his arms over his shoulder. 

“Sorry, you’re not my type,” Blaine was quick to shove him off.

“You take that back,” Nick mocked offense.

Blaine smirked, draping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I didn’t really--” The arm tightened, turning into a headlock, which started a proper wrestling match. Given that he didn’t hear the sound of a gavel but a chant of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” start, he had to assume Wes had officially ended practice while they were gone.

He won, of course. He’d learned enough from boxing that he could usually beat everyone but Thad--that guy was crazy fast. Trent stepped over to hold Blaine’s fist up and officially declare him the winner, much to everyone’s cheers.

Blaine suddenly remembered Kurt. Crap, had all that scared him off? It might remind him of all the bullying he got before, he worried. 

But when he found him, he was smiling. In a bit of a condescending way, but smiling nonetheless.

“Welcome to the Warblers, Kurt,” Jeff laughed next to him.

Kurt’s eyes never left Blaine’s. “Happy to be here,” He said, his voice soft and warm.

This was going to be the best year of Blaine’s entire life.


End file.
